Four Achnanthidium species (Bacillariophyta) formerly identified as Achnanthidium minutissimum from the Antarctic Region

Four taxa belonging to the complex of species around Achnanthidium minutissimum were found during the ongoing taxonomic revision of the Antarctic freshwater and limno-terrestrial diatom flora. Two taxa were previously described as Achnanthidium lailae and A. sieminskae. Two others were formerly iden...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Vijver, Bart van de, Kopalová, Kateřina
Format: Other Non-Article Part of Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2014
Subjects:
Online Access:http://publikationen.ub.uni-frankfurt.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/26505
https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-265053
http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-265053
http://publikationen.ub.uni-frankfurt.de/files/26505/079_vijver_kopalova_2014_achnanthidium.pdf
Description
Summary:Four taxa belonging to the complex of species around Achnanthidium minutissimum were found during the ongoing taxonomic revision of the Antarctic freshwater and limno-terrestrial diatom flora. Two taxa were previously described as Achnanthidium lailae and A. sieminskae. Two others were formerly identified as A. minutissimum but detailed light and scanning electron microscopical observations revealed sufficient morphological differences compared to the type of A. minutissimum, to justify their separation and description as new taxa: Achnanthidium indistinctum and A. maritimo-antarcticum. The morphology and ecology of all four taxa are discussed comparing the species with morphologically similar taxa. The biogeographical consequences of the splitting of the former A. minutissimum complex in the Antarctic Region are discussed.